


Robins No More

by writemydreams



Series: JayDick Week 2017 [7]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Court of Owls, Dick Grayson is a Talon, Jason Todd is a Talon, Jason-Centric, JayDick Week, M/M, Tim Drake is Robin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-10 09:37:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13499328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writemydreams/pseuds/writemydreams
Summary: Unlike Dick, Jason struggles to leave the past behind. When the Court of Owls charges him with discovering the identity of the current Robin he's outraged that Bruce dared to replace him with a new boy.





	Robins No More

**Author's Note:**

> Irony of ironies. The Talons/Court of Owls prompt was the one I was most excited to write for JayDick week only to keep getting stuck. Originally I had a different fic for this. That one was more focused on Bruce though so I decided it was best as a separate story from JayDick week.
> 
> I do have two more fics planned in this particular universe and will be exploring more Talon!Dick and Jason.

_Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time,_  
Ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime.  
They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed.  
Speak not a whispered word about them, or they'll send the Talon for your head. 

Jason smirked to himself as he thought of the old nursery rhyme. He remembered his mother telling him a Talon would come for him if he was bad – before the drugs consumed her. It didn’t matter if he behaved or not, all that mattered to her was getting her next fix. The sound of footsteps approaching sent him into alert mode. Talons may not be able to hear whispered gossip about them like Superman could, but they still had damn good senses. The footsteps were audible so it wasn’t Dick. He wouldn’t wear high heels anyway. Though he certainly had the legs for it.

He entertained himself with a brief fantasy of Dick in strappy gold heels to match the modified hue of his eyes that all Talons shared. All but Jason. Even the Court’s enhancements couldn’t cleanse the Lazarus Pit from his body. 

The Court member entered his room without knocking. Why should she when the Court held power over the Talons? Talons were merely tools in their arsenal to control Gotham. Jason bowed his head in acknowledgement to her, studying her beneath his bangs. She wore a gray pencil skirt to highlight her slim figure and long legs, a blue silk blouse, Christian Louboutin heels, and a Louis Vuitton purse. Her dark hair hung around her shoulders in loose curls.

“Talon.” She tried to sound brisk, as if speaking to a Talon was an ordinary day for her. Jason knew it wasn’t. He saw the slight tremor in her hands as she clutched her purse tighter and shifted in discomfort. This must be her first time being so close to a Talon.

Jason dropped to one knee in a position of fealty. “Do you require my services, Madam?” 

The submissive pose put her at ease. She stood up straighter and stepped forward. Her steps were confident this time. “Yes. The Batman has been sighted with a new boy.” She opened her purse to take out an envelope. She extended it to him, careful not to touch him. Jason opened the envelope. Three photos were inside. He pulled them out, crumpling the envelope in his clenched fist. How dare Bruce replace him! He hadn’t even been dead for a full year! Clearly, his time as Robin had been so _meaningful_ to Bruce. How shocking he’d actually waited to replace him when he’d probably had the new boy lined up within the first month!

Jason gritted his teeth. “Do you want him eliminated?”

“No. Discover his true identity, but do not engage with him or Batman. He believes the Court of Owls are a myth. We prefer to keep him in the dark about our activities.”

Jason dragged his gaze away from the photos. “I will begin surveillance immediately.”

“Good. Dismissed, Talon.” She turned on her heel and left the room. Jason watched her go. A woman who feared the Talons wouldn’t last long in the Court of Owls. Either her attitude would change or her membership would be… terminated.

Forgetting her, he turned his attention to the photos. One of the new Robin on a rooftop, a second swinging through the air on his grapple, and the third showed him at Bruce’s side with Commissioner Gordon in the background. Jason’s mouth twisted into a sneer. The top of Replacement’s head barely reached the bat symbol on Bruce’s chest. No way a tiny little thing like him would live to see the end of the year. Even Jason, who grew up on the streets, hadn’t survived Gotham. Replacement had one foot in the grave already – and he didn’t even know it. At least he had _some_ brains. He’d altered the costume, toning down the circus boy brightness. The cape was now black on the outside, he’d added green leggings, and replaced the pixie boots with functional black ones. Smart choices. Leggings provided better coverage. The black cape helped him blend in with Gotham’s gloom and shadows. Replacement had jet-black hair and pale skin with the lean, athletic body Bruce favored for his Robins. This boy was smaller in height and stature though. Was Bruce determined to have all his Robins look similar? Jason would bet his knives Replacement had blue eyes.

He looked away from Replacement to glare at Bruce. “You traitor,” he hissed. “You told me you couldn’t bear to have another Robin after what happened to Dick. Now you’ve lost _two_ Robins. What’ll you do when you lose this one, find another boy and stick him in the uniform too?”

Bruce would never learn. Jason tucked the photos into his uniform and left the building. He would deliver Replacement’s identity to his masters. Perhaps, as a reward, they’d allow him to eliminate Bruce Wayne. Jason would gladly accept that task. 

*

Discovering Replacement’s identity took longer than Jason anticipated. Bruce hadn’t adopted a new child and didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so. His only interactions with boys Replacement’s age were with his neighbor or at charity functions. The neighbor, Timothy Jackson Drake, had originally been at the top of Jason’s suspect list. He quickly dismissed the boy. Age thirteen, only child of Jack and Janet Drake, heir to Drake Industries. Tim had family, wealth, a comfortable life. There was no reason for him to be Robin. Pampered boys like him wouldn’t want anything to do with vigilante life. So who was the damn Replacement? 

Jason continued to observe Batman and the new boy (he refused to think of him as Robin. That was _his_ name!) over the following weeks. When Jason wasn’t performing missions, training, or spending time with his lover he searched for answers. Replacement lacked Dick’s circus flair and cheer, didn’t have Jason’s temper or street smarts. He was logical though. Clever. Bruce was also stricter with him than he’d been with Dick or Jason. Smart – the old man learned to be careful after losing two partners. 

“Fuck,” Jason snarled. “Who the hell is he?” Observing their interactions around the city wasn’t giving him any answers. He needed to dig deeper. Maybe even enter the Batcave. A place he’d never planned to go near again. 

He didn’t tell Dick about his plan. Jason already knew he’d lecture him about leaving the past behind. He waited until nightfall, when the Bat Signal had already been lit, before entering the Gotham tunnels. He remembered the way back to the Batcave as if walking it yesterday. Jason slowed his steps when he neared the entrance to the Batcave. Enhanced eyes studied his surroundings, checking for cameras or any security upgrades that Bruce had implemented since Jason’s death. Nothing he could see. Jason entered the Batcave, sticking to the edges to avoid being caught by any of the sensors. What he was looking for, he wasn’t sure, but he knew he’d find _something_. Some clue. 

His clue came in the form of a tunnel. A half curtain covered part of it. Jason slipped into the tunnel and followed it to its end. Fuck. A crawlspace. Difficult with the body he had now. Jason squeezed his way into the crawlspace and dropped out of it into a basement. Now this was interesting. A house connecting to the Batcave? Jason’s thoughts jumped to Tim, the neighbor boy he’d so quickly dismissed. Maybe he’d been wrong. He needed proof the boy was Robin though. Jason glanced up at the crawlspace then down at the cedar chest nearby. He tested it, finding it was locked. Pitiful. It took mere seconds to pick the lock. Jason lifted the lid and pushed aside a heavy wool blanket to find a distinct uniform he knew all too well. He’d seen it on the Replacement’s body too many times. Jason gritted his teeth behind his mask. Fuck, he wanted to stab a knife right into that damned R on the costume. Show the Replacement he should know better than to take a dead boy’s identity. 

_Leave the past, Jason._

Dick didn’t need to be there to scold him. Jason shut the trunk and locked it again. He had his answer now. Replacement had a name and a face. 

*

Jason joined Dick in their nest at Wayne Tower. He tossed his hood onto their shared bed. “I have him.” He grinned at his lover. As far as he knew, they were the only Talons to serve the Court of Owls at the same time. They trained, fought, and lived together. Once, Bruce had their loyalty. Now they despised him. “The replacement’s name is Timothy Drake. Bruce’s little neighbor.”

Dick lowered his knife. “Interesting. Robin has always been an orphan before. Why would a wealthy boy choose to take up such a dangerous lifestyle?”

“Who cares?” Jason spat. “I have him now! We can move against him.”

Dick left the bed to clasp Jason’s hand. “Enough. Bruce and his new boy are not our targets yet.” He walked back, bringing Jason down onto the bed with him. “Let go of all of this. You still care too much about your old life. When I first became Talon, I was angry about being replaced too. Bruce had a new boy at his side wearing my uniform and calling himself by my name. I learned to let go, to accept my new role. It’s time that you do the same. You and I aren’t Robin anymore. You’re a Talon, Jason. So am I. The Gray Son of Gotham.”

Jason fisted his hand in Dick’s shirt. “Bruce _should_ be our target! He abandoned both of us, Dick! He never tried to get vengeance after you vanished or even after the Joker killed me!”

Dick’s golden eyes met his. “Enough, Jason. You’ll be punished or worse, retired, if you allow this to consume you. You serve the Court of Owls.” He pulled away from Jason. “Clearly I need to retrain you.”

Jason advanced on Dick to push him up against the wall. It didn’t matter that Dick was three years older and had more kills under his belt. Jason was taller, broader. Stronger than Dick even though they shared the same enhancements. “Go on then. _Correct_ me, Gray Son.” He seized a handful of Dick’s hair and kissed him roughly.

Dick bit his lip in reprimand. “I will once I complete my assignment. Put on your hood. You will accompany and observe me to see how assignments should be carried out. Quickly, silently, and efficiently without brooding over Batman and Robin.” He shoved Jason back and donned his Talon hood. “Come.” He moved to the window.

Jason snatched his hood off the bed. “Fine. Show me how it’s done. Master,” he added sarcastically. He dodged the knife Dick flung over his shoulder. “You’ve used that move on me before.”

“You deserve it. I’m serious, Jason. Don’t make me lose you because you can’t get your head in the present.” Dick turned his head to face him. Jason couldn’t see his eyes through the Talon hood that matched his own, but he knew what his lover meant. Punishments could be endured. Retirement was a different story entirely. The final stage in a Talon’s twisted life. It wasn’t death. No, nothing so simple for the Court’s prized killers. 

“I won’t,” Jason said softly. Retirement was worse than death. Death was painful, agonizing, but there was an ending. Unless your body was dumped into the Lazarus Pit. Retirement was a long, frozen sleep of which there was no awakening until the Court of Owls allowed it. Jason had experienced that for three days when he refused to cooperate with his new masters. He’d never disobeyed an order again.

“Good.” Dick leapt out the tower window.

Shuddering, Jason left the past behind to follow his lover. Dick was right. He would allow his anger with Bruce and Replacement to fade until time to do something about it.


End file.
